The Metacognition Motitation
Thought Swap
Motitational Metacognition Strategy
This is one of the Motitations introduced in Testosterone Warrior Mindset.
A Motitation is simply a short audio with a set of instructions on it that you listen to repeatedly so that the instructions or “program” is ingrained into your subconscious or “automatic mind.”
While surely not the only way to learn, repetition being the “mother” of all learning is a well known principle in education and cognitive science.
Affirmations are based on this concept.
The Metacognition or “Thought Swap” Motitation is a 15 minute instructional guide (repeated twice = 30 minutes) that introduces and explains how to use a powerful mind technique that can potentially be life changing if used properly.
Policing And Guiding Your Thoughts
The most effective mind tool you can develop to break System 1 behavior is metacognition, a form of self reflection.
Metacognition is a System 2 function.
This audio briefly describes the System 1 and 2 Dual Theory of Mind but for more on this see Testosterone Warrior Mindset.
Metacognition simply means thinking about your thinking and is the perquisite for all other mind tools.
It’s the conscious spotlight that lets you catch System 1 in action, interrupt it, and redirect your thinking toward more thoughtful, rational, intentional choices.
It’s about using your conscious awareness to observe and objectively evaluate your automatic thinking patterns and mental processes.
Automatic programs run our lives and most often we have no idea how they got there.
We are looking for not only the mechanics of System 1 thought like a snap judgment or automatic lazy thought but also the content of that thought so you can analyze the validity of it.
Let me give a quick simple example.
When I was young there was this actor that I always disliked even though I enjoyed his movies.
One day, I asked myself why do I dislike this guy?
The answer was, when I was very young I remember how my mother always said how she disliked this actor so I just inherited that belief.
Mom didn’t like him for whatever reason…. so I didn’t either.
After I realized this, I changed that faulty belief and the actor became one of my favorites and I liked him a lot.
At the time I used metacognition without even knowing what it was.
This is a simple example of a serious phenomenon that we experience each day.
We judge, we make decisions and we see life through the lens of old outdated and faulty thinking and beliefs.
It also reflects how System 1 presents us thoughts that we automatically accept without question and believe to be true when in fact they may not be.
You want to question your thought especially the ones that might be giving you problems in life.
You want to catch when you engage in System 1 thinking but also the content of the thoughts it presents.
Why do I think this way?
Why do I feel this way?
Where does this belief come?
Why am I choosing this?
This allows you discard old beliefs and consciously choose new thoughts that align with your goals and prevents automatic thinking from running your life on the repeating patterns of your past.
Just like I did in the story above.
Remember, just because you think it, doesn’t mean it’s true and the more you start to understand the nature of life the more you will see the fragile nature of our preconceived perception of reality.
An important step in developing a warrior mindset is to understand that while you are not your thoughts, they will ultimately dictate the direction of your life and because we all have faulty thoughts, it is imperative that we analyze our thinking and change course as needed.
The Thought Swap is of the most powerful metacognitive strategies for breaking free of homeostatic thinking and priming your mind for higher cognitive function.
Listen to this Motitation repeatedly until the concept is implanted deep into your subconscious mind.
Make it a point to use this mind tool in your daily life and start piloting your life to new heights.